Machine for forming heel blocks



Oct. 27, 1931. Q GULLIFQRDY 1,829,711

MACHINE FOR FORMING HEEL BLOCKS Filed March 15. 1927 2 SheetsSheet 1 N a 7 i 0 25 2 0 0 as .a 207' z all /9m flZEa Oct. 27, 1931. N. L. GULLIFORD 1,329,711

MACHINE FOR FORMING HEEL BLOCKS Filed March 15. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented (jet/27, 1931 om t-E osms PATENT OFFICE ,NICHoLAs L. CULL ECRD, F PEAIBQDY, MASSACHUSETTS; ARCHIBALD '1. GULLIFORD,

ADMINISTRATOR 0E SAID NICHOLAS L'. GULLIEO D, DECEASED, ASSIGNOR T0 GULLI- FORD woon HEEL'COMPANY, A FIRM COMPOSED or ARCHIBAL 'r. GULLIFORD, AND PEARCE H. GULLZIEORD, BOTH or LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS MACHINE FOR FORMING HEEL BLOCKS Application filed. March 15, 1927-.- Serial No. 175,526.

. This invention aims toprovide a safe and efficient machine for making heel blocks, and

in the accompanying drawings I have shown merely for illustrative purposes one complete 1; embodiment of the inventiomwherein Fig. 1 is a plan viewof the machine;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a strip from which the heel blocks are made;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of aheel block;

Fig. 6 is a plan view similar to Fig. 1,

showing automatic feeding devices both for,

the work carrier and for feeding the strips to the saw. v V I I ,;In the drawings I have illustrated a machine for forming heel blanks or blocks such for example, as that illustrated inFig. 5, comprising a flat top surface 1 and a flat bottom surface 2', herein parallel with the surface 1', a front concaved face 3 anda rear convexed face 4. The concaved face 3. of the block is slightly inclined downwardly and forwardly and substantially coincides both in curvature and inclination with the breast of the finished heel. By producing heel block having a substantially finished surface all subsequent operations necessary to complete the heel will be more easily and Z accurately performed with 'a considerable saving of material, because little surplus materialwill be necessary, to allow for varia; tionsin the block' or in the positioning thereof.

It has been found most convenient to produce the concaved face of the block by means of a cylindrical saw 6 having teeth 8 at one of its ends, the diameter of said sawbelng small enough to produce the desired curvature for'heels. V I e n The blocks shown in Fig. 5 are desirably formed from a strip of suitable material such as that shown at 10, Fig. 4, and this strip isfed tothe saw 6 and sections of the desired length successively severed from said strip to form the completed heel block of Fig. 5. The strip 10 when ready for the sawing ,ma-

chine embodying this invention is generally, although not essentially, squared 0E at each end and of a length suflicient to produce a selected number of blocks.

As both ends of the strip 10 are fiat the first cut from the strip will be for the purpose of forming a concaved face 3, following which a second cut in all respects like the first cut will be made at the proper distance from said first cut by feeding the strip 10 into the machine with the end thereof projecting the required distance beyond the plane of the cutting edge of the saw and with said strip disposed at the desired angle with respect to the axis of said saw to produce the desired inclination for the face of the heel breast. To this end I provide, as shown most clearly in Fig. 1, a guide '12 pivotally mounted at 14 upon a work-carrier 16, said guide being adjustable in a horizontal plane about the pivot 14 and adapted to be secured in different angular positions, herein by a screw 18 extending through a segmental slot 20 in the guide 12 and engaging the work carrier 16. The face 21 of the member 12 serves as a 'guide'for the top surface 1 of the strip 10 with respect to the saw, said strip is then moved'bodily-in. adirection parallel with the axis of the saw which at this time is being rotated in any appropriate manner, as for example by belt 24 and pulley 25, and the protruding end thereof severed. This cut of the saw produces a convex rear surface 4 on the severed block and a complementary concaved front face 3 at the forward end of the remaining 'strip'which is the end from which the next heel block is to be formed.

Each successive cut of the saw through the strip 10, herein from the top face 1 to the bottom face 2, producescomplementary front 1 and rear faces for adiaeent blocks, the curve for the front face corresponding to'ithe curvature required for the breast of the finished heel. The 'curve of the rear surfa'eeofeaeh block/roughly approximates the eurve de sired "for the back of a finished heel, s that little material Will have to be removed by the heel-turning operations and at the sameume of. V i i To facilitate the severing of the block sec tions from ,the strip 10 the work carrierlii' I is mounted to slide upon a suitable table 26 a lsurfaoel Will be provided which 'Inaterially I facilitates the placing of the block 7 against the turning cutters for the final turning there arranged'substantially parallel with the axis offthejsaw 6, movement being'imparted to ing the workearriertoandfrom thesaw'b',

said means including a handle 26" pivoted'at 2710 an 'npright28 on said work carrier.

Aipin slidably' arranged in said upright is arranged to engagefthe strip 10 and when pressure vis applied by'the handle 26*up'on 7 said pin the near'end 30 thereof will engage ofanother heel block. 7

, striplO and'a'second part 36'betweenfthesaw and thestrip and adjustably secured by bolt the strip 10 and firmly hold the same against thesurface Qlof theguide '12 during the sawing. operations. A spring 32 is arranged to act against the pin 29, to withdraw thesanie, from engagement with thestrip 'lQ whenpifes sure'is'removed from the handlefldfthus le'a'ving the strip '10 free to be'advanced thelength In order to make the blocks severed from the strip 10 "of uniform lengthil provide a stop 34 which "may be supp'orted'in any'ap propriate manner 'togbe engaged by'the con- 'caved'end face 3 ofthe striplO whenthe latter is advanced along the guide 12. V I

"Where cylindrical saws are employed to out strips into smallsecftions "great difficulty 7 has been experienced by thesevered section ofthe strip being carried around by? the saw hurled thereby a considerable distance, of-

ten breaking windows an d som'etimes causing injury tothose standing "in thepathof v thehurled'piece, To prevent such an occur ence the present machine includes guard having a 'portion 35 arranged beneaththe 19 to the upright 28. Thepart 36 of the guard is approximately the same shape but slightlysmaller indiameter than the interior 1 .of'the slaw so'tha't whenthe work-carrier is.

moved forward withfthe work said guard will pass into the saw a distance approximating the depthofthestrip10, "Uponthe seve'rf-v "ing of the endoft-he strip saiden'd will drop against the portion 35 ofth'e'ig'uard and' be prevented thereby from-revolving with the saw Whilestill'within'thelatter. The pants being substantially thesize of the interior of the saw willnot permit the severed block to move farther intothe saw but will ejectit from the saw-when the workearrier is retracted. T hepart 35"of-.the-guard is made nar-row so as not to interfere with the dropping of the block into a suitable container afterthe block has been ejected from the saw.

The "guard 36 being near the end" 'of the strip IO provides a convenient support for the stop pin 34 which latter issho'uldered and-set into a transverse sl0t37 in said guard and clamped infposition thereagainst by a nut =38. The slot" 37, per1nits said pin to'be adjusted transversely of the guard and saw to vary the length of the piece to be severed fromth'e' strip As an additionalsafeguard against'the-hurlingof the severed'bloekj I providea second guard member 89r above the protruding'portionof said strip and the gauge 34, said second'gua'rd being secured in vertically adjustable relation, against the forward face of the upright member 2 80f the carrier by niea nsdf a screw 34" passing through a slot 34 insaid guard and into the upright member 28.

In order to -save material the initial-cut upon'thelstrip 10 is inade'just as close to the squared end as possible, said strip being advanced'only far enough beyond thecu'tting edgeS 'ofthe'saw to permit'this'to beaceom plish-ed; This movement of the strip being irregular, it is desirable'that it be performed by hand and Fig. 1 shows the machine equipped not only to advance the strip by handbut-also to efliec t the clamping of the 7 work and the moving ofthe, work -carrie1' by hand as Well. 7

It is however 'd'esir'able feeding and eutting eperati'ons be entirely automatic "and to this end 71 have shown in Fig, "finieans for feeding the strip 10 length- Wise, said means including a trough shaped guide 35" havin'g'a' pair of feedrolle'rs 40, 4-2.

rotati'vly" arranged" upon opposite "sides thereof with' their peripheries protruding slightly within "the side members 43 and 44 of said gene, The feed "rollers 40 and d2 are respectively secured toro'tate with shafts 46 aiid 4 8'. "The feed rdiler 40 is arranged to rotate-with afspur gear fifl'ineshing withn spur gear 52- arranged on'the shaft 48 ro- 7 Late withfthe' feed roller 42. A ratchet 54 is secured to retate with one of said feed-rollers,

herein the feed roller 40, andis'intermittently' drivenfib y a pawl 56 Carried by an arm 58 pivoted =onj the shaft 46. Appropriate move ment is imparted to the pawl 56an-d its arms 5V8,by a-le ver 6 0 pivoted at -62 upon an'outstanding farin '64 on the guide member 35. A l'ink- 66geonnects one-endof the lever $0 with-the arm 58, the'latt'er cenneetion being an adjustable {one whereby the throw of "said pawl-56 may be varied. 1 o'theopposite=end of the lever 6U aniex tension'es is yieldably at times that the its I pivoted at 70, a spring 71 being arranged to "encircle the pivot 70 and having its opposite ends secured respectively to the arm'60 and the 'extension68 to normally maintain a lug 72 on said extension 68 in contactwith a stop 73 on the arm 60. By means of this 1 yielding connection the, operating means for the arm 60 may be set to rock said arm a greater amount than .will normally be required but when the strip strikes the stop 34: the spring71 will yield and so permit the extension 68 to continue whiletheremaining parts including the feed rollers 40 and 42 re- "main stationary. The invention however is not limited to the particular means shown.

Any appropriate means may be provided to rock the lever 60 at the proper time to effect through the feed rollers 40 and 42 the feeding of the striplO toward the stop .84, but herein I have provided for this purpose a worm gear 74 secured to a shaft 75 ournaled to rotate in suitable bearings 1n the bed or guide member 26 of the machine. The teeth 76 of the worm gear 7 4; preferably engage a worm 77 secured to the arbor 78 of the saw 6, which latter rotates in suitable bearings 79 on the frame 80 of the machine. An abutment 81 carried by the rotary member-74 is so positioned that at the proper time n the operation of the machine it Will engage the extension 681and rock the lever 60 and through its various connections effect a pre-' determined rotation of the feed rollers and I 42. A spring 82 acting uponone end of the to provide additional variations in the feed of the strip 10. 1

Cooperating with the pin 81 is a cam 84 secured to rotate with the shaft 75. A cam follower 85 carried herein by a reciprocating slide 86 connected at one end to the work carrier 16 is engaged'by said cam 84 to impart a predetermined movement to the work carrier to feed the strip 10 to the saw, but after the block is severed from said strip said carrier is returned'to its normally retracted position against a stop'87, herein by a spring 88. f r. I

To provide the required friction upon the strip 10 in the guide 35 I provide spring pressed rollers 89 at least along one side of the strip 10 to yieldingly press the same against one side of the guide 35'. It is also desirable that one of the feed rollers be mounted to yield relatively to the other, and to this end the feed roller42 is carried by a sliding block 90 slidably mounted in suitable guides 91 in portions of the guide member 35. A spring 92 normallylurges said blocktd ward the other-driverollerzad thus maintaining said roller in cooperative feed- .7 ing relation with the driving rollerl40. An"

for varying her to vary the angniarirelation of the strip torthe saw will notefiect the operation of the feeding means for the reason that the pin 81 carriedby the gear 74 is placed so asto provide ample throw for the lever-6O regardless of the position of the extension 68. The yieldable connection between theeXtension 68 and the arm .60 permits said extension 68 to yield after the'strip 10 has heen'moved suiiiciently to engage the stop 34.

The relation between the pin 81 and the cam 84'is preferably such that the feeding of the strip 10 longitudinally of its guide 35 takes place only when the work carrier 16 is stationary so that there will be no interference between the several moving parts.

The pawl 56 for operating'the feed roller 40 is maintained yieldingly incontact with the ratchet 54 by a spring 9 1 but should it be desired to render the automatic feeding devices for the strip inoperative said pawl may be thrown back to a position Where said spring 94 will hold it retracted from the ratchet teeth.

Manual feeding of the strip 10 along the guide 35 may readily be accomplished merely by rocking the lever 60 by hand as it is at all times free to be moved in a direction away from the abutment 81. And should it be desirable or necessary to render the lever 60 inoperative the stop screw 83 maybe set up far enough to prevent the extension 68 from being engaged by said abutment 81.

There may also be occasions when it is desirable to render the work carrier inoperative and to this end the cam slide 86 is, detachably connected With said carrier by means of a screw 95 which has an end 96 for engaging a recess 97 in the slide86 when the screw is turned in as far as it will go. With the screw 95 turned out and its end disengaged from the slide the latter will be free to slide idly in the boss 98 on said carrier.

Although I have disclosed in detail one full and complete embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto.

Claims:

l. A machine for making heel blocks comprising, in combination, a horizontally disposed cylindrical saw, a work carrier, means to create relative movement between said work carrier and said saw in a direction axiclaJnp-i'ngmeensemi gnaw meansiindepend v v Ienflof saidz'workclamping -meansgfpr pref'venting' theihurling f the fsevered end; of the workjby said; Sam;

5: 25A m'alchine formaking heelbleekseom f lefa-llyefg'a-idsawg meanssfor.guiding-bhe-work 7 across: the cutting edgefef said. saw at an. 7

angle toithe axis ef sa id'saw, a'stop for; determining the length ti) be severed from'thef work: and. guards means interposed between V 1 1 5;the work,-a,=nsaw to prevent the seve1:erl endlof the onk fiem dropping intqithe horizonr tal' sawandbeing-thrown'by said saw: 1

I n testimony-whereof, I have signedf 1 name to this specification;

V NICHOLAS L GULLiEORDQ: 

